Dale Earnhardt Jr. expresses disappointment with Michael McDowell regarding the Ryan Baney accident. The situation for Front Row Motorsports in the 2024 season has become challenging. Unlike the previous season, they have not had consistent Fords at the front of FRM. Now, in order to secure his spot in the playoffs, Earnhardt Jr. needs to win a race. Last week, he came close but made a mistake by crashing while battling for second position with nine laps remaining in New Hampshire.
Cup champion Ryan Blaney was furious with the experienced driver for his reckless maneuver that caused the accident. Earnhardt Jr. shares a similar sentiment. In his podcast, he stated that McDowell should change his aggressive racing mentality at the end of races, as it often leads to chaos for all the drivers involved.
Expanding on his point of view, Earnhardt Jr. emphasized that the incident was unnecessary. Even if McDowell had managed to escape the situation unscathed, there was no way he could have won the race. Earnhardt Jr. also criticized McDowell’s explanation for the incident, stating that it did not reflect well on the veteran driver.
Earnhardt Jr. further stated that McDowell was only putting himself in a difficult situation with his actions, and there was no justification for them. He firmly believed that McDowell would not have been able to make the turn under any circumstances.
For McDowell, everything went wrong in New Hampshire, and he needs to repair his reputation. If he fails to do so, other drivers may use it as an excuse to treat him the same way. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the 2024 season unfolds for McDowell, who is set to join Spire Motorsports next season.
